Elizabeth Banks to direct 'Pitch Perfect 2'

When Pitch Perfect came out in 2012 I don't think anyone expected the end result. I don't just mean that it was FAR better than the formulaic and off-beat comedy that was promised by the trailers but also in terms of dollar dollar bills y'all. Made on a budget of around $17 million the movie pulled $115 million in box office receipts and almost the same in home video/digital sales (not to mention the soundtrack sales). That's the kind of result that saves a studio's year and all but guarantees a sequel, who am I kidding, nowadays it does guarantee a sequel. The Hollywood Reporter is putting out that Elizabeth Banks is set to make her directorial debut with the follow-up film which is being written now, while there's no concrete word Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson are also extremely likely to return. 

While liking someone as an actor doesn't necessarily translate to liking them in other roles I have a ton of faith in Banks' ability. She seems to conquer whatever she touches and has worked with some of the most talented directors working today, so she must have pulled a tip or two from their notebooks. It's actually a perfect project, though a little high profile, for a debut. It's not exactly a film that hinges on the skill of it's direction and already has a very dedicated built in audience. 

I just hope this doesn't mean her character in the original, Gail, will be absent. She and John Michael Higgins were the perfect cherry on top as the funniest commentators this side of Pepper Brooks and Cotton McKnight. 

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Universal dates 'Fast & Furious' 7' for summer 2014; 'Pitch Perfect' sequel in 2015

Never let it be said that Vin Diesel's Facebook page isn't a reliable source of information. The action star recently posted Universal's plans to kickstart Fast & Furious 7 as soon as this summer, with the hopes of having it ready by the same time next year. Universal took to the floor at CinemaCon and proved Diesel's words to be true, setting the film for July 11th 2014.

The only question left now is what kind of impact this will have on the rest of the cast. We've already seen franchise director Justin Lin step down, only to be replaced by Insidious director James Wan. Dwayne Johnson, who helped carry Fast Five to a $620M haul, has also expressed doubt that he can meet the timetable, as he's set to shoot Brett Ratner's Hercules during that time. At the same time, it makes sense for Universal to want to move things forward, as the franchise has never been stronger than right now.

There was never any doubt there would be more Fast & Furious, it was just a matter of when. On the other hand, sequels to Snow White and the Huntsman and the surprise hit Pitch Perfect were less concrete. Universal has decided to officially move forward with both, aiming to drop them both on us in 2015.  After losing director Rupert Sanders and toying with booting out star Kristen Stewart, she will be back along with Chris Hemsworth, with the story expected to follow his Huntsman character extensively.

We first learned that the studio was planning for more Pitch Perfect late last year, and it's pretty obvious why. The film sung a pretty sweet tune at the box office, bringing in over $110M mostly on word-of-mouth and a smart social marketing campaign. Rebel Wilson is already being sought to return, and Skylar Astin has said he's been spoken to about coming back. That just leaves star Anna Kendrick, but it's doubtful Universal would move forward without her. She's a large part of the reason it was such a huge success, so much so that she just released a music video for "Cups", the main songs she performed in the a capella comedy. You can check that out below.

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Win a copy of 'Pitch Perfect' on Blu-Ray/DVD!

In case you couldn't tell from my review or by how excited I was to learn about the sequel, Pitch Perfect is a personal favorite. The musical comedy starred Anna Kendrick as a rebellious college co-ed who hooks up with an all-girl a capella band to lead them in a mash-up war against their male rivals. We love this movie so much around here that we want to make sure you see it as well.

We're offering four of our readers a Blu-Ray/DVD copy of Pitch Perfect, with winners to be selected on December 24th.  To enter, you MUST be a fan of Punch Drunk Critics on Facebook, so if you haven't "Liked" us yet then please do so now. Since we consider Pitch Perfect to be one of this year's surprise films, to win you'll need to leave a comment here with the one movie that took you by surprise in 2012, and you can't say Pitch Perfect! Be sure to provide your email address or some other online means for us to contact you.  

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A sequel to 'Pitch Perfect' is in the works

We talk a lot around here about crappy marketing campaigns that sink otherwise great movies, but Universal Pictures managed to do everything right with Pitch Perfect. The a capella comedy didn't have much in the way of star power, short of the intense likability of Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson's endless supply of dry wit, but they pushed the film largely through social media and connected directly with their core audience. Why waste money on expensive TV ads that may not work? And so the film was a hit, with some of the longest legs at the box office amounting to $76M so far.

So of course Universal wants a sequel, and with the film just hitting DVD/Blu-Ray on Tuesday, now's as good a time as any to start talking about it. Skylar Astin, who played Kendrick's The Breakfast Club-loving beau, has told Movieweb that he and Rebel Wilson have already been spoken to about coming back....

Astin:  "I do have a meeting with a Universal representative next week. And I know that Rebel Wilson had hers last weekend. It's definitely a talking point."

One can only assume they've already spoken to Kendrick about it, but would she be open to a return? She's had another strong year, possibly even better than when she was nominated for Up in the Air, and may want to prove her worth elsewhere. We'll see, but I'm excited for a sequel as long as Kendrick, Wilson, Anna Camp, Alexis Knapp, Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins are back.

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Review: 'Pitch Perfect' starring Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson

Essentially an episode of Glee(if it were any good) mixed with Bring It On, Pitch Perfect is exactly what the doctor ordered for those who can't get enough of Nelly and Bruno Mars mash-ups.The film's peppy, upbeat scale is carried by Anna Kendrick, who perhaps faster than any other has become an actress we implicitly trust and immediately cheer for. Here she gets to show off not only her comedic chops but also her impressive vocal range for the first time since she busted out 'Ladies Who Lunch' in Todd Graff's Camp.

Kendrick slips into the unfamiliar role of rebellious college student Beca, who turns up at Barden University with a chip on her shoulder. Her father's a professor and his status grants her a free ride, but Beca's goal is to skip town and hit L.A. for a shot at hitting the big time as a DJ. Pressed into getting out there and experiencing the college life, she initially insults Aubrey(Anna Camp), the domineering but desperate leader of The Barden Bellas, an all-girl a capella group on a recruitment drive. Having projectile vomited their way into an embarrassing loss at the championships, Aubrey and her feisty right hand gal Chloe(a flame-haired Brittany Snow) are having a hard time finding new members. An awkward meeting reveals Beca's vocal chops, and she becomes the first of of a fresh group of peculiar recruits each with their own funny little quirks.

Easily the best of the bunch is Rebel Wilson as the rambunctious and self-deprecating Fat Amy, who quickly spots in Beca a fellow outsider stuck in a world of Barbie dolls. The entire squad is attractive, hilarious, and occasionally disturbing in all of the best ways. Stacie(Alexis Knapp) is the team slut who can barely go five minutes without reminding everyone how active she is. Lilly sings and speaks with all the power of a church mouse, and with her dead-eyed stare the horrific things she says are all the more distressing, but funny for being so random. The girls put aside their numerous differences for a little girl power unity, cranking out energetic, suburban versions of Salt 'n Pepa's 'Let's Talk About Sex', Ace of Base's 'The Sign', and many more. It can get a little tiresome after awhile, and soon all of the songs start to blend together. Fortunately the cast is so good that it doesn't really matter.

Stealing a page from Christopher Guest's wonderful, satirical explorations of niche genres, Kay Cannon's script is both reverential and dismissive of the dork singing culture. Elizabeth Banks(also a producer) and John Michael Higgins(a Guest favorite) scathingly rip a capella to shreds as commentators for some fictional broadcast. It's like they've taken all the best elements from Guest's terrific Best of Show, only with less dogs and a more lively pace set by debuting director Jason Moore.

Of course love has to be in the air at some point, and Beca dances around a relationship with Jesse(Skyler Astin) a nice guy newbie member of the champion all-boy team The Treblemakers. The feud between the guys 'n gals is so thick that any Bella who dates a "Treble" is immediately kicked off the squad. A few moments of light tension arise, especially when Beca begins to fall for Jesse's plot to win her over through the power of The Breakfast Club's soundtrack. Can't really fault him there. The Trebles are led by a loud-mouthed but talented blowhard named Bumper(Adam DeVine) who delights in humiliating the girls whenever possible, especially Fat Amy. His obnoxious antics, along with those of his crew, keep much of the film from becoming repetitive.

Pitch Perfect isn't especially deep, but for a year that has seen numerous musicals covering much of the same material, it's certainly the best of the bunch and a fun film that hits most of the right high notes.

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Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow bust out some Bruno Mars in new 'Pitch Perfect' clip

We already know that Anna Kendrick has the pipes to make every a capella track in Pitch Perfect really spring to life. And to be honest, every clip we've seen of her and the rest of the all-girl singing crew belt out a tune has gotten me pretty excited to see what else is up their sleeves. There's a Bring It On bounciness and competitive spirit to the film that I'm really diggin' on right now.

The latest clip has Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, and the rest of The Bellas harmonizing a mash-up of Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are". Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Anna Camp, Skylar Astin, and Alexis Knapp co-star in the Jason Moore-directed musical.

Pitch Perfect hits theaters on October 5th...[MTV]

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

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"No Diggity", watch Anna Kendrick battle rap in clip from 'Pitch Perfect'

There's little Anna Kendrick can do that would keep me away from one of her movies. I think she's a phenomenal talent, and have thought so since her early days on Broadway to her scene-stealing turn in Camp. Which is why it was always so disappointing to see her slumming it as a peripheral Twilight character for so long. Fortunately that never really slowed her down, as performances in Up in the Air and 50/50 have earned her the credit she's so rightly deserved.

I think Glee is a flat out horrible show, and you couldn't bribe me with bacon to ever watch it again, but the similarly toned Pitch Perfect? I'm all over it. Mainly because of Kendrick, who plays a rebellious college freshman who joins an all-girl a capella group known as The Bellas. But also because it features a fantastic ensemble, with Elizabeth Banks, Brittany Snow, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Alexis Knapp, Anna Camp, and the awesome Rebel Wilson.

The newly released clip is great, as we get to see the gals in a "riff off"  against their male rivals, with the topic being songs about sex. That leads to the vocally gifted Kendrick breaking out into a rendition of "No Diggity" that gets the crowd pumped. Pitch Perfect hits theaters on October 5th...

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Brittany Snow joins the cast of Pitch Perfect

The softening of my hardened heart continues as a film that seems to have been inspired by the Glee craze is quickly becoming one I can't wait for. Pitch Perfect stars Anna Kendrick(Up in the Air, 50/50) as a goth chick(no kidding) who joins an all-girls a capella group at her college in order to stick it to her professor father. She'll probably learn a life lesson or two along the way. Call it a hunch.  If you still haven't seen Kendrick airing her lungs in the great musical, Camp, then by all means check it out. But know that she won't be the only one in the cast capable of belting out a tune.

THR reports that Brittany Snow, co-star of the hit musical Hairspray, has joined the cast. She'll play Chloe, one of the buttoned up members of the group.  Rebel Wilson(Bridesmaids) was the first to be cast in the film, as a character named Fat Amy(>sigh<), and Adam Devine(Workaholics) is another new addition playing a member of the boys championship squad.

With Elizabeth Banks one of the film's producers, any chance she'll turn up for a cameo? I wouldn't be surprised.  Jason Moore(One Tree Hill) is at the helm.

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